Klask

Designer: Mikkel Bertelsen

Publisher: Klask

Ages: 6+

Players: 2

Time: ~10 minutes

Times played: >15 with review copy provided by Klask / Marektoy

Klask was a new dexterity game that I found at Essen 2015, at a booth that was very close to the site of the old BGG stand.  There were a number of game tables set up for demo play, and they were constantly in use at the fair.

I gave the game a number of tests while at the show, and I really wanted to bring a copy of the game home, but the size of the box just was too large to fit in my luggage.  The game is a magnetic dexterity game with players controlling their pusher with a handle underneath the board.  Strong magnets keep the two pieces in connection.   At first glance, this game is reminiscent of Weykick – but it is smaller in size and has a few other features that make it a different game indeed.

Picture by Mikko Saari

The game is a race to six points.  At its core, it’s like a table top soccer game.  Each player has a single pusher which is controlled by a magnetically attached handle underneath the board.  Each player defends a round goal.  The plastic ball is pushed around the board using the pushers.  Due to a wooden piece which spans the center line, you cannot move your magnetic controller onto the other side of the board. There are also three small white magnetic blockers on the board.  They start lined up on the center line, but they can be moved if hit with the ball.  Additionally, the magnets in these blockers are strong enough that they might “jump” on a player piece if it comes close enough.

One player is chosen to start the game.  He moves the ball into one of the corners of his side of the board and hits the ball into play.  Play then continues until someone scores a point.

There are four ways to score a point in the game:

The most obvious way is to hit the ball into your opponent’s circular goal.  If you do this, you score a point.

If you somehow get your own pusher to fall into your own goal, play stops and your opponent scores a point.

If you have two or three of the blocker pieces attached to your mover, play stops and your opponent scores a point.

If your pusher and controlled become magnetically detached (usually from a violently fast motion), play stops and your opponent scores a point.

Each time, the player who did not score gets to start play by putting the ball in their corner.  All blockers are replaced on their starting positions at each resumption of play.  The game continues until someone has 6 points.

There are a few other rules, and then you’ll have it all:

• If one of the white magnetic pieces sticks to a gaming piece, the game continues; if two of the white magnetic pieces stick to one gaming piece, the opponent gets one point.
• If the ball falls over the edges of the board, you must place the ball in the corner start field in the half from which the ball fell.
• If one or more white magnetic pieces fall over the edges of the board, the game continues.

My thoughts on the game

Like many dexterity games, the game is a one trick pony.  It’s table soccer with a magnetic piece that you control from underneath.  But, it’s a fairly entertaining and compelling single trick, and we’ve been playing it all through December here since I received my review copy.  The game is quick bundle of frenetic action, short enough that any one (or two or three) games isn’t enough to make you tire of it.

When we first got the game, our games were mostly about bashing the ball and trying to score a goal by putting the ball in the hole.  As we became more adept with the controls, our games have become a bit more defensive and strategic.  There is a lot more play involving the blockers – trying to force them into the opponent’s piece or force the opponent to get close enough to them to attract them to his piece.  And, better control of the player pieces allows for more accurate shots at the goal when your opponent lets his defenses down.

But, when I say that the games are getting longer – they’re still coming in under 10 minutes!  The game definitely does not outstay its welcome, and from our experience here at the house, there is almost always someone who is willing to step in to challenge the current winner to another game.

The game itself comes completely assembled – which is the main reason for the large box!  But, I think that this is an advantage because you can be assured that the game will come in playable-out-of-the-box condition.  My game is also perfectly level, and this is an important fact because the plastic components are fairly light such that even a mild gradient is enough to affect the roll of the ball or motion of the blockers.

I know there were a number of my friends that were looking at the game at Essen, but we all had to leave it behind due to the size.  I’m glad to report that the game can be had domestically from Marbles the Brain Store – which appears to be an exclusive distributor of the game.  Our copy has definitely received a lot of play thus far in the past few weeks, and I expect it to get more with the upcoming holiday get-togethers here at the house.

Until your next appointment

The Gaming Doctor